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Browsing Tags Alpine Lakes

This image was taken in New Zealand A LONG time ago with a simple Canon point and shoot – coincidentally – this was appropriately called Mirror Lake – somewhere on the South Island. I say somewhere only because it was so long ago and my memory is failing!

The backdrop of this Alpine Lake is high in the Salkantay mountain range in Peru.

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Fall in Colorado is hands-down my favorite time of the year. The air is crisp, aspen leaves are changing and it is the start of sweater and boot season. There is nothing better than driving up to the mountains in mid to late September to witness the colorful change of the season. My favorite place to go is Aspen, CO one of the most stunning mountain towns in Colorado.

My preference is to find a great hiking trail and soak it all in on foot. One of the best fall hikes in the area is Cathedral Lake. It is a difficult 6.4 round-trip hike as noted in the link, but the views are pretty gorgeous all the way up to the emerald green lake. Once you get to the lake, views of the ragged edges of the surrounding majestic peaks are abundant. The trek down, provides amazing views of the aspen covered valley below. If the lake doesn’t interest you, the first mile or so will take you through a rather large aspen grove where the photo opportunities are endless.

The drive to the trailhead takes you through the pristine Castle Creek Valley which, by itself, is well worth it. The gently winding road is lined with aspen grove after aspen grove. If you decide the hike is too much, you MUST do the drive at a minimum. An added bonus: You will pass by the ghost town of Ashcroft which was once home to 2,000 silver miners back in the day (specifically 1883). It is a pretty well preserved historical site if you are into such things.

Key tips: Start out early in the morning to find good parking and if you do so, wear warm layers as it will be cold up there. Be prepared for a potentially warm decent. Bring plenty of food and water – it is a strenuous hike so you might as well be hydrated and well fed. Consider kicking back at the lake with a picnic and a good book. Enjoy!

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If you’re looking for a honeymoon idea, let me suggest the Aspen Four Pass Loop as an option. Of course, you should throw in your dear friend and her husband and a sister-in-law to boot. Fellow Life Busers Pam and Greg and Cinda joined us for this adventure. What honeymoon is complete without a sister-in-law in the tent with you? All joking aside, hiking the Aspen Four Pass Loop with this crew was the icing on a perfect mountain-cabin wedding the weekend before.

Much has been written about this 26 mile stunning hiking loop with very good reason so I won’t bore you with all of the logistical details. That information can be found on numerous other websites. What I want to share are some reasons why this hike merits honeymoon and / or bucket list status. See 50 Places to Hike Before you Die by Chris Santella.

Our plans were to hike this loop over Labor Day and to spend 3 nights doing so. I know, I know it can be done by ultra-runners in a day but we wanted the opportunity to soak in all of the scenery and solitude. I would highly recommend the Labor Day timeframe. We had beautiful weather with a proverbial afternoon shower here and there. In true Colorado style, the storms left as soon as they came. You do have to time your hiking with these showers as there are vast expanses of exposed, treeless basins where you don’t want to be when it’s storming.

So, what did I love about this trip? Where should I begin. If you like to challenge yourself and work on your fitness, this route will do it for you. You cross four passes that will definitely get your ticker pumping and lungs burning. They are all higher than 12,000 feet with steep ascents and descents out of the wetland meadows below. In fact, except for the beginning and the very end, the loop never descends below 10,000 feet.

I love exercise as much as the next person but that wouldn’t be enough for this trip to merit the bucket list ranking if it didn’t have stunning scenery to complement the physical challenge. From the very start of the trek, you are treated with iconic imagery starting with the Maroon Bells and Crater Lake. Don’t be deterred by the number of people visiting this landmark. Once you head out towards West Maroon Pass you quickly leave people behind and, once you go up and over this first pass, the crowd thins out to almost nothing …. if not nothing. In fact, once we got over West Maroon until we descended Buckskin (the final pass), we saw only 2 other people the entire time. This route routinely gets rated one of the most scenic routes in Colorado for a reason. The views of the Maroon Bells and the rest of the Elk Mountains are breath-taking. The route takes you all the way around the Bells and Elk Mountains for virtually a 360 degree view of the rugged peaks. After each pass you descend into beautiful, lush, green wetland basins with excellent camping locations. The rugged beauty of Snowmass Lake was an unexpected jewel of this hike.

Another unexpected treat was the greeting we got from a family of mountain goats as we reached the top of Buckskin Pass. We were privileged enough to see these guys, even the baby, successfully navigate a steep snowfield.

The effort this trek requires is so worth every step. It is heart-warming to know that there is still such peace, solitude, and unspoiled beauty out there if you just go beyond the beaten path.

Yes, I think our marriage is stronger for having shared such a great honeymoon adventure with loved ones.

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This past Labor Day weekend, Lexi, Todd, Greg and I spent a few days in Summit County. In true Life Bus fashion, we picked a hike we had never done before, the Mohawk Lakes Trail in Breckenridge, Colorado. The best website I found that fully describes the trail is the Summit County Explorer. The only thing I somewhat disagree with is the intermediate rating. I think it is closer to advanced and not sure I would say this is the best family hike unless your kids are in really good shape and used to the altitude. The elevation gain is roughly 1,700 feet over a 3.5 mile distance which is quite steep. I do agree with the Summit County Explorer comments that this hike, “encapsulates everything wonderful about Summit County. From sweeping vistas, historic ruins and ore cars to waterfalls and close-up views of massive, rugged peaks.” Once you get to the Lower Mohawk Lake, the views are spectacular.

Todd and Greg brought their fishing poles and threw in their lines at the Lower Mohawk Lake. They didn’t catch anything but it was well worth the effort to bring the poles and practice their casting skills. If you take a moment to look up at the surrounding mountains, there is a good chance you will see mountain goats dotting the hillside. It is always a good day when there is a wildlife sighting. I hear moose have started to migrate to Summit County, perhaps you will get lucky and spot one of these gorgeous guys milling around.

If you are in the Breckenridge area in the summer time, I highly recommend this 7 mile round trip hike despite the rating. The descent was manageable and not nearly as tricky as I thought it might be. My only caution is a good portion of the trail either has exposed roots or rocks so if it is raining, the chance of slippage is very high.

Key tips: Bring hiking and fishing poles, wear good ‘sticky’ shoes for climbing over rocks, load up on food/drink and plan on a picnic at one of the Mohawk Lakes. Also, if you are ever hiking in Colorado, beware of weather in the late afternoon – things can get nasty so bring a rain jacket and a fleece.

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One good thing about being a consultant is the fact that there are occasions when you have a little bit of down time in between gigs. Earlier this year in June, I had one long, luscious week to catch up on errands and doctor’s appointments and more importantly, to get outside and explore. I chose to spend a few days solo in Vail, Colorado and hike a trail I had never done before. The trail I picked was the Gore Creek Trail (GCT). The GCT is located in the pristine Eagles Nest Wilderness in the Vail Valley area.

Many trail guides I found on the GCT mention an approximate 6.2 mile hike – please keep in mind, this means 1 WAY to Gore Lake. They don’t seem to be consistent with distance measurements. The best trail guide I found on the topic is the ProTrail Review which gives an in depth review of mileage points, and a detailed description of the trail and what to expect when.

The ProTrail review rates this hike strenuous and I have to agree, it is not for the faint of heart or couch potatoes. The trail is steep and rocky in some areas so if it is raining, it can be slick. In summary, it is about a 3,200 foot elevation gain up to the lake. Of course you don’t have to go that far. Even if you hiked a mile or so in, it would still be enjoyable as the trail loosely follows the Gore Creek for about 4 miles and much of that 4 miles takes you through dense forest. If you decide to make it to the lake, I understand the opportunity for trout fishing is outstanding. The challenge I had getting to the lake was there were several fallen trees I had to maneuver around. If you are not careful, you can easily get off trail and lost, so stay aware and alert.

Overall, this is one of my favorite hikes in the Vail area. It is gorgeous, challenging and the chance of seeing wildlife is fairly high. The day I hiked the GCT, I saw a total of 8 people and one bear, a very large cinnamon colored bear. As I was approaching a small ridge, about 15 feet away, I saw the beautiful, fluffy creature scouring the ground for food, smack dab in the middle of the trail. I completely froze in my tracks. I could either jump into the river that was about 20 feet below on my left, turn around and head back in the other direction, or hike up the steep hill on my right. Either way, I was toast if this bear was female with a few cubs in tow. Thankfully, no babies were involved and as soon as the bear saw me, he (assumption on my part) high tailed it out of there. Although I nearly crapped my pants, it was by far one of the BEST days of the summer.

Key Tips: Wear sturdy hiking shoes, bring a lot of water and snacks and carry hiking poles if you have a tendency to lose your footing or need to fend off attacking wild animals.

Last but not least, if you are hiking alone, please make sure you let someone know where you are going. We don’t need any Aron Ralston stories on the GCT.